page_title: Pécs Brewery
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Pécs Brewery / History
caption_attribution_description: Magyar: A pécsi sörfőzde épülete az 1860-as években
context_page_description: Pécs Brewery or Brewery of Pécs is of the four big breweries in Hungary and the biggest in the Southern Transdanubia located in Pécs, the capital of Baranya County in southwestern Hungary.
context_section_description: The brewery was founded in 1848 by Hirschfeld Lipót (Leopold Hirschfeld).  Following the death of Leopold Hirschfeld, his son Sámuel took over the brewery.  He expanded the facilities and drilled a spring to provide a supply of good quality water.  The Szalon Sör brand was registered as a trademark by the Iparkamara (Industry Chamber) in 1907, and is still produced under that name today.  In 1911, Sámuel founded the company that would later become known as Pécsi Sörfőzde Rt.  It was first known as Hirschfeld S. Sörgyár Részvénytársaság (S. Hirschfeld Brewery Incorporated).  
  In the following years, the company managed to stay successful and continue operations through the depression, and both world wars.
  The company was nationalized during the communist takeover following World War II, but during the 1970s and 1980s experienced growth and development that would increase the capacity of the brewery to its current size.
  In 1992, several years after communism had ended in Hungary, the company again returned to a private corporation.  During the privatization in 1993, a large portion of the company was purchased by the Austrian Ottakringer Group.  The new ownership and additional capital helped the modernization efforts of the brewery.  In 1994, the company name was changed to Pécsi Sörfőzde Rt. (Brewery of Pécs, Inc.).
  Although the company is majority-owned by the Austrian Ottakringer, it is still run independently of its parent organization, as a truly Hungarian brewery.
caption: Pécs Brewery in the 1860s
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